Car-door.



C. J. MULHALL.

GAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. l, 1911.

Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGIAPH 50., WASHINGTON, n. c

from the walls 1 of the car.

CHARLES J. MULHALL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-DOOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 1, 1911.

Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

Serial No. 647,267.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. MULHALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at 6730 South Lincoln street, city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gar-Doors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in doors for freight cars, the object being to provide a door of this character which shall be capable of being tightly closed and quickly opened when desired by an operator.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a freight car embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a transverse section showing the front edge of my improved door in elevation.

The preferred form of construction as illustrated in the accompanying drawing comprises a freight car having side walls 1, roof 2 and floor 3. The door opening 4: is of the usual size and rectangular in form. The door 5 is of a size to fit snugly in the opening 4 as will be seen by reference to Fig. 1. In order to hold the door 5 suitably in position when the same is closed or being opened, a pair of hangers 6 is provided at the upper edge thereof as clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. These hangers extend upwardly from the upper edge of the door 5 and each is provided with a slot having in clined surfaces 7 and 8 the disposition of which are downwardly and outwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The inclined surface 7 terminates at its upper extremity in an overhanging hook 9 which serves to suspend the door 5 when the same is open or spaced A guide plate 10 in which the hook 9 is suspended extends horizontally along the side of the car adjacent the roof of the same and is secured in position by means of lag screws 11 at each end thereof. Only one of said lag screws is shown, but the full construction will be clear to those skilled in the art. It will be seen that the guide plate 10 is spaced apart from the side of the car, thus providing clearance for the door 5 which is interposed between said guide plate and the side of the car as illustrated in Fig. 2. The construction is such that when the door 5 is raised by means of the handle 12 that the inclined surface 8 cooperating with the guide plate 10 will cause the door 5 to move upwardly and inwardly into the door opening 4. In order to hold the door 5 in elevated or closed position a pair of hinged locking members 13 is provided and secured adjacent the lower edge of the door 5 as illustrated in Fig. 1. The free ends of the locking members 13 are bent into hooks which are so formed as to readily engage the top edge of a lower guide plate 15, the latter being secured to the side of the car 1 in a manner similar to that of guide plate 10. A pair of downwardly extending hangers 16 are provided at the lower edge of the door 5, and the same are provided with a slot having inclined surfaces 17 and 18 which cotiperate with the surfaces 7 and 8 in guiding the door during the closing and opening thereof.

It is apparent from the foregoing construction that the guide plates 10 and 15 serve to cooperate with the hangers 6 and 16 respectively for effecting the inward movement of the door when the same is elevated by an operator. Also the door is guided outwardly and downwardly by these hangers in the act of opening the door. \Vhen in the lowermost position the door 5 is spaced sufficiently from the sides 1 of the car to move freely longitudinally without any appreciable resistance upon the guide plates 10 and 15, but when the same is registered with the door opening 4 and pushed upwardly and inwardly by means of the handle 12 a close fit is formed in the opening 1 which precludes the possibility of the door being accidentally opened, especially after being locked in closed position by means of the members 13 hereinafter described.

A car door of the construction set forth is strong and durable, cheap to manufacture, and efficient in operation.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred construction for carrying my invention into effect, the same is capable of variation or modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a car door, a pair of hangers secured the inclined surfaces thereof, the construction being such that when the door is spaced apart from the side of the car that the hooks of said hangers will engage the top edge of said plate and that when the door is being closed that said inclined surfaces will direct the same upwardly and inwardly, a second pair of hangers secured to the lower edge ofthe door and provided with slots having inclined surfaces similar to said first named inclined surfaces, and a second horizontally disposed guide plate secured to the side of the car and adapted to engage said second pair of hangers, and a hinged arm on said door having a free end thereof arranged to come into engagement with the lower of said guide plates and co-act with said hangers in holding the door in raised and closed I,

SL1Cl hangers in holding the door in raised position, substantially as described.

2. In a car door, a pair of hangers eX-l tending upwardly from the upper edge of said door, a second pair of hangers extending downwardly from the lower edge of 1 said door, a horizontally disposed guide plate 1 secured adjacent the upper edge of the car engaglng sald first named pair of hangers,

a horizontally disposed guide plate secured 1 adjacent the bottom edge of the car for engaging said second pair of hangers, each hanger being provided with a slot having outwardly and downwardly inclined surfaces through which the corresponding guide plate is passed, the construction being such that when the guide plates are positioned at the upper ends of said slots that the door will be spaced from the side of the car, and hinge-like bracing means co-acting with said lower guide plate and said hangers for holding said door in an elevated or closed position, substantially as described.

3. In a car door, a guide plate secured adjacent the upper edge of the car and spaced apart therefrom, a second guide plate secured to the side of the caradjacent the lower edge thereof, a plurality of hangers projecting from the upper and lower edges of said door and adapted to cooperate with said guide plates for holding the door in either a closed or open position, there being a slot provided with inclined surfaces .in each hanger through which the corresponding guide plate is passed, said inclined surfaces extending outwardly and downwardly from the sides of the door so that when the latter is pushed upwardly that the lowermost of said inclined surfaces will force the door inwardly, there being a door opening in the side of the car with which the door is adapted to register, and hinged locking means arranged to engage said second guide plate automatically when said door moves upward and inward through the co-action of said guide plates and hangers for holding the door in closed position in said door opening, substantially as described.

4:. A car door comprising a door proper, upper and lower hangers thereon, a slot in each hanger having outwardly and clownwardly extending vertically opposite surfaces, the upper extremity of each upper surface being rounded for sliding; a supported guide rod in the upper and lower hangers respectively; and a hinged arm on said door proper having a free end thereof adapted to come into engagement with the lower of said guide rods and co-act with and closed position, substantially as described.

5. In a sliding car door provided with slotted hangers and upper and lower guide rods in said hangers, a hinged arm on said d-oor having a free end thereof arranged to .come into engagement with the lower of said guide rods and hold the door in raised and closed position, substantially as .described.

6. In a sliding car door supported by upper and lower guide rods, a hinged arm on said door having a free end thereof hook-formed and arranged to engage the lower of said guide rods automatically when said door is being closed and to hold the door in closed position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES J. MULHALL. Witnesses:

HELEN F. LILLIs, JOSHUA R. H. Po'r'rs.

Copies of this patent may be obtai neiifor five cents each, by addressing the ffl'ommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0; 

